If you’re following the schedule, you should read these chapters today: Exodus 24, John 3, Job 42, 2 Corinthians 12. Click on any of those references to see all the passages in one long page on BibleGateway. If you can't do all the readings today, read Exodus 24.

Personal revelations of God seems to be a theme that ties our readings together today. There is so much that could be said about these passages (as usual), but let’s focus on Exodus 24. There God commanded Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy elders to come to worship him (v. 1). They are to come nearer than the rest of Israel, but to worship “at a distance” (v.1b). Only Moses was chosen from among them to approach the Lord (v. 2). After Moses instructed the Israelites and made preparations (vv. 3-8), the 74 men God had chosen did approach the Lord’s presence according to verse 9. And, what did they see? “The God of Israel,” according to verse 10a but the description we are given is merely what he was standing on: “Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky.” God is pure spirit and does not have a body; however, for this revelation, he made himself visible in some way. Whatever they saw had feet, according to verse 10, but that’s all we know. Was God’s revelation similar to a human body? I would guess so based on other appearances of God in the Bible, but whatever they saw was so wonderful and so terrifying that Moses did not even attempt to describe Him, only what he was standing on. This is our God; his nature is beyond what words can describe or the human brain can even comprehend. Although we do not deserve to stand in his presence, his grace compelled him to reveal himself to us. More than that, he did everything in Christ that we could not do for ourselves to reconcile us to himself and even adopt us into his family. Someday we will know God “face to face.” We will fall before him and worship in awe but also in perfect love and acceptance in Christ. Let this hope encourage you and permeate your worship as you gather with our church today.

Just a word about the ending of Job. Notice that God never told Job that his trials were a Satanic attack designed to shake Job’s faith in God. Though Job had many questions and even accusations for God, God never felt obligated to reveal to Job why things happened the way that they did. Instead, God challenged Job and proved to him that he was way out of his league to question and accuse God. After humbling him, Job conceded: “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know” (v. 3). This is such an important truth for us to remember when we don’t understand why God wills what he wills and does what he does.

Now for your thoughts: What stood out in your Bible reading for today? What questions do you have about what you read? What are your thoughts about what I wrote above? Post them in the comments below or on our Facebook page. And, feel free to answer and interact with the questions and comments of others. Have a great day; we'll talk scripture again tomorrow.